DIY History | Transcribe | World War II Diaries and Letters | Miscellaneous letters to Helen Fox, 1933-1945 | 1942-01-24 Maureen Croly to Helen Fox Page 2

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Miscellaneous letters to Helen Fox, 1933-1945

1942-01-24 Maureen Croly to Helen Fox Page 2

would have confidence, such as one of her former colleagues in Edinburgh or Glasgow (both very good medical Schools) and indeed I'm turning over in my mind the idea of going up to Scotland. If we could get a small furnished house, or in a pinch buy a little place and just furnish with the barest essentials, I think she would like it. In spite of the climate, rather rainy and cold in the West of Scotland, we both prefer it to England. In many ways we should be fools to leave here where we are reasonably comfortable, good shops, good climate, for a small Scots township. Isn't it odd, though, how one can hanker for a country? Once settled in, I could hunt around for some war work in the district. Nowadays most areas have emergency hospitals, or rest homes for workers, children's convalescents etc. so there is usually plenty to do. A friend of mine in the Nursing Reserve was posted to the country headquarters of a big London hospital, blitzed, or course. She says they have fifteen hundred beds in Army huts, scattered round a small country hospital which formed the nucleus. Staff also live in huts, and the work goes on, though conditions are hard, and it is all very uncomfortable. Was cheered, but not unduly, to read in one of your letters about the shiploads of eggs for Britain. Two per person per month is the ration for the winter, and my last two would have routed the whole German Army - combined H.E. and poison gas! Still, it's not too bad altogether. We are rationed for tinned meat, fish, vegetables, now fruit, and some cereals and all dried fruits are rationed. "Points" rationing (for these things) is unlike ordinary rationing. You have sixteen (to be raised to 20) "points" coupons to spend each month, and it's up to you to allocate them as you please. Some people spend all theirs on tinned meat, others all on fruit, or fish. They can be "spent" at any shop, unlike basic ration foods (tea, fats, sugar) which must be got from ones registered dealer. Milk cut to half pint a day, very hard on Mother who however refuses to claim for more. I have to watch like a lynx to stop her giving away her rations! "Our" airman, Vincent, writes to say he and his pals are wearing ladies' silk stockings under their socks for operational flights in this bitter weather. The stockings, neatly mended, were the gift of a school teacher, who said they were very warm, pulled on under woolly socks. The boys finally got around to wearing them, find them comfortable,

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would have confidence, such as one of her former colleagues in Edinburgh or Glasgow (both very good medical Schools) and indeed I'm turning over in my mind the idea of going up to Scotland. If we could get a small furnished house, or in a pinch buy a little place and just furnish with the barest essentials, I think she would like it. In spite of the climate, rather rainy and cold in the West of Scotland, we both prefer it to England. In many ways we should be fools to leave here where we are reasonably comfortable, good shops, good climate, for a small Scots township. Isn't it odd, though, how one can hanker for a country? Once settled in, I could hunt around for some war work in the district. Nowadays most areas have emergency hospitals, or rest homes for workers, children's convalescents etc. so there is usually plenty to do. A friend of mine in the Nursing Reserve was posted to the country headquarters of a big London hospital, blitzed, or course. She says they have fifteen hundred beds in Army huts, scattered round a small country hospital which formed the nucleus. Staff also live in huts, and the work goes on, though conditions are hard, and it is all very uncomfortable. Was cheered, but not unduly, to read in one of your letters about the shiploads of eggs for Britain. Two per person per month is the ration for the winter, and my last two would have routed the whole German Army - combined H.E. and poison gas! Still, it's not too bad altogether. We are rationed for tinned meat, fish, vegetables, now fruit, and some cereals and all dried fruits are rationed. "Points" rationing (for these things) is unlike ordinary rationing. You have sixteen (to be raised to 20) "points" coupons to spend each month, and it's up to you to allocate them as you please. Some people spend all theirs on tinned meat, others all on fruit, or fish. They can be "spent" at any shop, unlike basic ration foods (tea, fats, sugar) which must be got from ones registered dealer. Milk cut to half pint a day, very hard on Mother who however refuses to claim for more. I have to watch like a lynx to stop her giving away her rations! "Our" airman, Vincent, writes to say he and his pals are wearing ladies' silk stockings under their socks for operational flights in this bitter weather. The stockings, neatly mended, were the gift of a school teacher, who said they were very warm, pulled on under woolly socks. The boys finally got around to wearing them, find them comfortable,